For many years, the church has operated out of our offices at The Street in Rustington where we own both premises at 102 and 104. A few years ago the buildings were refurbished and the staff team have been working out of the upstairs office since then, however many staff also work out of The Wickbourne Centre having desks at both locations. Due to a number of recent staff changes there are now only a two individuals who work exclusively out of the Rustington office, and so we have taken the decision that from January we will close the Rustington office and move the remaining team to The Wickbourne Centre.

While we realise that this is a significant change, we believe it is an important step in helping the church operations to function more efficiently and effectively. Having our main presence in The Wickbourne Centre gives support to our existing staff there, strengthens our relationship with West Sussex County Council, and brings more custom to Refresh coffee shop. It gives us a more space to meet in public and make the most of the daily connections with people who use the centre. Practically, it also reduces our ongoing costs and through the rent of the offices at 104 The Street, will generate income.

We plan to make the Rustington office available to rent as a furnished and serviced space in the new year. Anyone interested in using the offices should contact Jon Jolly on 01903 782744.

The leadership would like to make clear that moving the administration to Wickbourne does not mean that we are pulling out of Rustington. Our history was as a church plant to Rustington and we recognise a number of the congregation live in and around the village. The PlayCentre Pre-School will remain downstairs at 102 The Street, and we are looking at ways to expand it later in 2016 to have a more visible presence in the high street. There is also the small reception area in 104 The Street which could be used more effectively. We would be very interested to hear from any groups or individuals in the church about how that space could be used to connect with the community or promote activities in future.

The contact details for the office will remain the same and there will be no disruption to services. You can call on 01903 782744 or email office@aruncommunitychurch.com.